Planets outside the solar system: A world like a cotton ball
The newly discovered exoplanet WASP-193b has an average density of just 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter, making this world one of the lightweight planets.
© NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmstead (STScI) (details)
One and a half times larger than Jupiter, but only one-seventh its mass: exoplanet WASP-193b has an extremely low density of just 0.06 grams per cubic centimeter.
An international team led by Khaled Al-Barqawi EXOTIC LAB from the University of Liège in Belgium has discovered an exceptionally lightweight exoplanet. This planet is about one and a half times the size of Jupiter, but its mass is only one-seventh its mass, giving it a very low density of about 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter, compared to the density of cotton candy (0.05 grams per cubic centimeter). . WASP-193b It is therefore one of the lowest-density exoplanets ever measured. The least dense planet in our solar system is the ringed planet Saturn, which has a density of 0.69 grams per cubic centimeter.
WASP-193b is located 1,200 light-years from Earth and orbits a Sun-like star of spectral class F at a distance of only about six million kilometers, about seven percent of the distance between Earth and the Sun. It takes 6.2 days to complete one orbit. Because of its proximity to its central star, the planet’s temperature rises significantly, such that the extent of its atmosphere exceeds Jupiter’s atmosphere by tens of thousands of kilometers. Calculations showed that the temperature on its day side rises to more than 900 degrees Celsius. Its temperature is twice that of Venus, the hottest planet in our solar system.
WASP-193b’s unique properties raise questions about the structure of hot, gaseous planets. This world contradicts all theoretical models of planetary evolution usually assumed for hot gas giants. The team suspects that the newly discovered planet is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, similar to Jupiter and Saturn. However, even the low density of WASP-193b cannot be described by the unrealistic assumption of a structure without a solid core. It is possible that an as-yet-unknown energy source deep within the planet is causing the extreme expansion of the atmosphere.
Further studies of its atmosphere and composition, especially using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), are needed to solve the mystery of WASP-193b. They can provide new insights into planetary diversity and composition.
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